Various forms of variable dampers have been proposed for use in wheel suspension systems for the purposes of improving the ride quality and achieving a motion stability of the vehicle. In a common conventional variable damper, a rotary valve is incorporated in the piston for varying an effective area of an orifice that communicates the two chambers on either side of the piston with each other, and such a rotary valve is typically actuated mechanically by using a suitable actuator. More recently, it has become more common to use magneto-rheological fluid for the actuating fluid of the damper, and control the viscosity of the fluid by supplying corresponding electric current to a magnetic coil which is incorporated in the piston. According to such an arrangement, the overall structure can be simplified, and the response property of the damper can be improved. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,675, for instance.
The piston of the damper disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,675 comprises a cylindrical inner yoke, a coil wound around the outer periphery of the inner yoke, a pair of end plates placed on either axial end of the inner yoke, and a cylindrical outer yoke coaxially surrounding the inner yoke and end plates. The inner yoke and outer yoke are both made of magnetic material, and are retained in a spaced apart relationship by the end plates so as to define an annular flow passage between them. The end plates typically consist of disks made of non-magnetic material, and are each provided with a plurality of arcuate slots communicating with the annular passage, an annular recess for engaging a projection on the corresponding axial end of the inner yoke and an annular groove for engaging a ring that secures the inner end of the piston rod to the piston. The inner yoke, end plates and outer yoke are securely attached to one another by crimping each axial end of the outer yoke against the peripheral edge of the corresponding end plate.
In such a damper, it has been a common practice to use carbon steel as the material for the outer yoke because carbon steel is a soft magnetic material and has a favorable mechanical property. However, the saturation magnetic flux density of carbon steel is not very high so that the variable range of the damping force cannot be made so wide as desired. The inventors experimented the use of soft magnetic materials including iron-cobalt alloy (such as Permendur) having high saturation magnetic flux densities, but such materials do not have a high hardness, and have relatively poor elongation and drawing properties. Therefore, such materials were not found to be suitable for use in the outer yoke of conventional magneto-rheological dampers.
More specifically, if material such as Permendur is used for the outer yoke which forms the outermost shell of the piston in the damper disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,675, because the outer circumferential surface of the outer yoke constantly slides over the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder during use, the outer yoke wears out very rapidly. Wear in the outer yoke creates a play between the piston and cylinder in time, and this play not only causes noises but also reduces the damping force due to leakage of magnetic fluid through the play between the piston and cylinder.
Also, in the damper disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,675, the axial ends of the outer yoke are crimped onto the axial end surfaces of the end plates so as to integrally hold the end plates, inner yoke and outer yoke together. However, material such as Permendur having a poor drawing property is not suitable for crimping.